Question by Desert Caretaker:
Can a cat carry bedbugs?
My landlord claim our cat is the reason for the recent outbreak of bedbugs in our apartment. Does he have a case?
Cats name, Phat Cat Lewie”, 13 lbs of pure black love.
Best answer:
Answer by stabilis
I have seen them carrying suitcases, but never bedbugs.
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no. bedbugs fear light and will not stay attached to a host. they feed on humans and then crawl off to hide in the mattress or walls. anywhere that is small and cool and dark. the outbreak in the building would most likely be caused by people – those who move and bring their beds and furniture with them, those who visit friends and bring something home with them from an infested house, etc. i know a man who found a speaker out behind our apartment building and brought it in to his house. he now has an infestation. he has no pets and lives alone. he never has friends over. the bugs were in the speaker.
Probably not. Unlike ticks, fleas, etc. bedbugs do not have the legs to walk on fur. They prefer hairless creatures (ie humans). They would much prefer to dine on us then tackle a furry animal. You should check any new items that you’ve brought into the apartment or speak with the other tenants.
Blaming a cat is ridiculous. Not to mention unlikely.
If you have an indoor cat the only way the cat could have had a bed bug on him would be because they were already in your apartment.
If you have an outdoor cat, the cat would have had to have been in some human habitation that was infested with bedbugs and then brought them back to your apartment on his fur.
Bed bug infestations occur because a human has brought them into the building on their shoes, clothing, body, or some item they brought in from a bedbug infested place.
One common way is through bringing in used furniture. Another is through receiving a package that had been packed somewhere with bedbugs. Yet another common one is through traveling and putting your suitcase, backpack, or coat down on an infested carpet or piece of furniture in a hotel room.
Your cat is not responsible for the bedbugs although they may bite him even though they are a human pest, as well as you. Either you or someone else brought them into the apartment somehow. Not the cat.